Great Falls of the Passaic

Summary: A large, interesting urban waterfall. The combination
of height and volume make this one of the bigger waterfalls
in this part of the country.

The Great Falls of the Passaic is located in Paterson
New Jersey. Here the Passaic River spills into a fissure.
This is an urban waterfall. You have to drive through
some crowded city streets to get to it. It is also a working waterfall.
A small dam is located above the falls, and some of the
water is diverted for power generation. Two bridges span the gorge.
One carries water pipes, and the other is a pedestrian bridge.

The gorge runs perpendicular to the river, and is narrower
than the falls are high at its farthest end. This limits
the available views of the falls. The best view
is from the bridge. You cannot see the full falls from the
opposite side due to the gorge's depth and narrowness.

The Passaic is a good sized river and the falls are guaranteed
to have water. These pictures were taken in a dry August,
and the waterfall was broken up into three distinct segments.
When the river is very high,
the falls becomes a single wall of water.

Great Falls is a historic site. Alexander Hamilton selected the
site to be a "national manufactory" with the waterfall as the power source.
A statue commemorating Hamilton is located by the falls.
There are plans to make the area a State Park, and a National Historic Site.

The falls are close to I-80 and State Route 19. There is parking
at Overlook Park on McBride Avenue. You can see the falls from there,
but for a better view you need walk up the street, cross
the river, and walk across the pedestrian bridge over the gorge.